RICHLAND, Wash. — In some cases, soot — the fine, black carbon silt that is released from stoves, cars and manufacturing plants — can pack more of a climatic punch than greenhouse gases, according to a paper published in the journal Atmospheri…
Tag Archives | region
New study shows marine ‘networks’ can protect fish stocks
MIAMI — University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science faculty were part of an international scientific team to show that strong links between the corals reefs of the South China Sea, West Pacific and Coral Triangle …
IOF calls for action following release of Eastern European & Central Asian Regional Audit
A newly published audit report by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) consolidates information on the status and burden of osteoporosis in 21 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including the Russian Federation. The landmark re…
Cocaine production increases destruction of Colombia’s rainforests
Cultivating coca bushes, the source of cocaine, is speeding up destruction of rainforests in Colombia and threatening the region’s “hotspots” of plant and animal diversity, scientists are reporting in a new study. The findings, which they say unders…
Pollutants in aquifers may threaten future of Mexico’s fast-growing ‘Riviera Maya’
Pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, shampoo, toothpaste, pesticides, chemical run-off from highways and many other pollutants infiltrate the giant aquifer under Mexico’s “Riviera Maya,” research shows.
The wastes contaminate a vast labyrinth of …
Cluster encounters a natural particle accelerator
ESA’s Cluster satellites have flown through a natural particle accelerator just above Earth’s atmosphere. The data they collected are unlocking how most of the dramatic displays of the northern and southern lights are generated.
Two of Clust…
More frequent drought likely in eastern Africa
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — – The increased frequency of drought observed in Eastern Africa over the last 20 years is likely to continue as long as global temperatures continue to rise, according to UC Santa Barbara scientist Park Williams.
T…
Altered gene protects some African-Americans from coronary artery disease
A team of scientists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere has discovered that a single alteration in the genetic code of about a fourth of African-Americans helps protect them from coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in Americans of all ra…
Scientists find that debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — – A new scientific study shows that debris coverage — — pebbles, rocks, and debris from surrounding mountains — — may be a missing link in the understanding of the decline of glaciers. Debris is distinct from …
NRL scientists develop 3-D model of the ionosphere F-region
WASHINGTON — The first global simulation study of equatorial spread F (ESF) bubble evolution using a comprehensive 3D ionosphere model, SAMI3, has been demonstrated. The model self-consistently solves for the neutral wind driven dynamo electr…
Back to the dead (sea, that is)
They’ll drill through four ice ages, epic sandstorms, mankind’s migration from Africa to the New World, and the biggest droughts in history. Tel Aviv University is heading an international study that for the first time will dig deep beneath th…
New software detects piping flaws
New software developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) may lead to a less expensive and less time consuming method to detect corrosion or other defects in a ship’s…
URI geologist develops improved seismic model for monitoring nuclear explosions in Middle East
KINGSTON, R.I. — December 16, 2010 — Geologists from the University of Rhode Island and Princeton University, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, have taken an important step toward helping the United States government…
Pioneering study reveals UK biodiversity hotspot
Scientists are calling for radical new approaches to conservation following the first biodiversity audit of its kind.
Led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), with partners Natural England, the Forestry Commission, Norfolk and Suffolk Biodivers…
New England economic outlook precarious; government fiscal woes threaten region’s recovery
DURHAM, N.H. — The New England economic outlook remains precarious, with the regional economy struggling to continue its recovery if the U.S. economy remains weak. The looming federal and state fiscal crises will make a difficult road to recovery i…
Time to prepare for climate change
WASHINGTON — Though the massive glaciers of the greater Himalayan region are retreating slowly, development agencies can take steps now to help the region’s communities prepare for the many ways glacier melt is expected to impact their lives, …
The more someone smokes, the smaller the number of gray cells
Is there a relation between the structure of specific regions of the brain and nicotine dependence? This is the question researchers of the Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin and of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Berlin have b…
November-December 2010 GSA Bulletin highlights
Boulder, CO, USA – Topics in the November-December 2010 GSA Bulletin include earthquake hazard assessment, tectonics, fault ruptures, paleo-earthquakes, magmatism, landslides, climate modeling, and geochronology. The issue also reports the first …
New fog warning system in Venice region pays for itself 10 times over
Fog is a relatively frequent phenomenon in the Po Valley and constitutes a major issue for all road traffic. The new fog warning system covers and benefits the entire Venice Region, combining VTT`s know-how on intelligent transport and evaluation of…
Turtle, dugongs ‘at risk under climate change’
The “turtle and dugong capital of the world”, the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Torres Strait region, faces increased pressure under climate change from human actions such as fishing, hunting, onshore development and pollution.
“Depletion…
Water discovered on second asteroid, may be even more common
Water ice on asteroids may be more common than expected, according to a new study that will be presented today at the world’s largest gathering of planetary scientists.
Two teams of researchers who made national headlines in April for showing …
New language identified in remote corner of India
Linguists reporting from a National Geographic expedition to India’s remote northeast corner have identified a language completely new to science. The language, known as Koro, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family, a group of some [...]
Technology transfer and postdoc entrepreneurs
Post-doctoral researchers see their role as being vital in technology transfer where scientific findings become useful to the local economy, but most have little interest in running their own business once their research fellowship ends. That’s the …
High death, disability rates due to fractures in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe
Preliminary findings from an upcoming new report by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) show alarming projections and reveal the poor state of post-fracture care in the Russian Federation and many other countries in the region. [...]
Climate change: Can geoengineering satisfy everyone?
Reflecting sunlight from the Earth by geoengineering would undoubtedly cool the climate, but would different countries agree on how much to reflect? Research by climate scientists at the University of Bristol shows that the impact of geoengineering …
Gene limits learning and memory in mice
Deleting a certain gene in mice can make them smarter by unlocking a mysterious region of the brain considered to be relatively inflexible, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.
Mice with a disabled RGS14 gene are able to r…
New Owl Species Discovered In Brazil
A newly described and critically endangered pygmy-owl species discovered in Brazil was named today after Intel founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty Moore, announced Conservation International. The description of the bird appears in the most recent edition of the Brazilian Journal of Ornithology.
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Cemetery in Mongolia
Last summer, research teams in central Mongolia began excavating a newly discovered cemetery associated with the Xiongnu, a powerful confederacy of nomadic pastoralists in the region two millennia ago. The cemetery was found and surveyed in July 2001 and includes what appears to be the largest Xiongnu tomb found anywhere to date.
Century-Long Drought Linked to Collapse of Mayan Civilization
New analysis of sediment samples from the southern Caribbean indicate that severe droughts occurred at the same time as the known collapse of the Mayan civilization. In a study in the March 14 issue of the journal Science, researchers report that sediments from the Cariaco Basin in northern Venezuela clearly show a dry spell in the Caribbean region starting in the seventh century and lasting for more than 200 years.
Springtime Temperature Swings Attack Northeastern Forests
Forest dieback in the northeastern United States and neighboring areas in Canada has been more frequent, more persistent, and more severe during recent decades, research has shown. Now scientists have found springtime temperature swings have intensified in that region during the same period. A new study links these escalating freeze-thaw episodes, which are known to harm trees, to an atmospheric pressure imbalance over the North Atlantic.